'If guitarists thought less about their technique, it would probably be better...'

[distressed_romeo]

Paco DeLucia said that...

I used to think it was one of those dumb things musicians said, like Yngwie proclaiming that he never practices, but as I get older, I can see the wisdom in it.
When I spend ages trying to force my technique to improve, practicing exercises with the metronome etc., I've found I get too focused on the minutae of it rather than the music, whereas if I spend my practice time trying to construct more interesting lines, and developing my ear, my technique is far more fluid and relaxed.

Anyone else found this?

 

[Chris]

Practice is a necessary evil to get you to the point where you don't have to think about the notes anymore, imo.

 

[distressed_romeo]

That's true. What I'm talking about is how you balance your practice schedule.

 

[kmanick]

I find with my own playing anyway, that I need to practice all that boring shit with a metronome to keep my "mechanics" up to par, but If I don't play along with backing tracks and improvise over different types of rhythms
I sound like a computer. Even jamming along with cds will only help you so much, because you're playing other peoples lines and phrases.
coming up with your own phrases and melodies (at least for me) helps a lot.
you know the guys who say "I never practice", did at some point practice their asses off, so don't go by that garbage.
Steve Vai used to lock himself into a room fors days on end when he was first starting out, so did Paul Gilbert.

 

[distressed_romeo]

I know. I've never lent any credence to guitarists who make that claim. I've been doing a lot of methodical, repetitive practice to build up chops since I was about 13, it's just now my priorities are slightly different.

 

[lachrymose]

Even on a larger scale, whenever i find a high degree of premeditation i just go to sh*t.

Metranomes, Backing Tracks and Sheet music all freak me out. Having a microphone infront of me even throws me off. Same really applies for playing an instrument if i have some sort of rigid definition of what I should be doing.

It's more like hunting for that hard to find magical flow

 

[distressed_romeo]

^That would be the goal. I wish there was an easy way to balance technique with pure musicality.

Pat Martino had an interesting perspective on it in a recent interview; 'Those who drive cars, how many hours a day do you practice opening the door or changing gears?'

Of course, that's totally fine if you can play like him!

 

[Mastodon]

I dissagree because then everyone would be sounding like Kurt Kobaine

Ps: Fuck metronomes, all they do is confuse me and throw my timing further off.

 

[IBANEZDIEHARD]

I dissagree because then everyone would be sounding like Kurt Cobain

would that really be such a bad thing ... Nah i'm joking,

could you imagine him on a 7 string?

 

[Cancer]

Maybe I'm reading this wrong but I think Delucia quote had to do with practice as much as the application of WHAT is practiced. As I get older the only thing I come to hate about my guitaring is the realization that I will always be confined by technique, that everything I compose constricted by what I can physically do. All instrumentalists will have this issue so clearly its just something I'll have to live with, and there are ways around it (composing without using an instrument for example), but thats what I think of when I read that quote.

 

[distressed_romeo]

Maybe I'm reading this wrong but I think Delucia quote had to do with practice as much as the application of WHAT is practiced. As I get older the only thing I come to hate about my guitaring is the realization that I will always be confined by technique, that everything I compose constricted by what I can physically do. All instrumentalists will have this issue so clearly its just something I'll have to live with, and there are ways around it (composing without using an instrument for example), but thats what I think of when I read that quote.

That was kinda what I was getting at. What I'd found is that my playing is usually better when I focus on the bigger picture as opposed to the minutae of my technique.
As you say, it's a question of striking a balance...

 

[Drew]

Ps: Fuck metronomes, all they do is confuse me and throw my timing further off.

Can you play with a drummer?

Learning how to lock into a fixed groove is absolutely CRUCIAL. If you'd rather practice with a drum synth than a metronome that's fine but you need to practice with SOMETHING.

 

[noodles]

Learning how to lock into a fixed groove is absolutely CRUCIAL. If you'd rather practice with a drum synth than a metronome that's fine but you need to practice with SOMETHING.

I have a hard time practicing to a metronome, because there just isn't enough going on to keep me locked in. Looped beats work great, though.

 

[Desecrated]

I didnt improve my technique before I started recording myself. That is the first time your really understand how many misstakes you do. man i need practice, I´m going to go and do that right now, bye.

 

[Mastodon]

Can you play with a drummer?

Learning how to lock into a fixed groove is absolutely CRUCIAL. If you'd rather practice with a drum synth than a metronome that's fine but you need to practice with SOMETHING.

I usually play along with the CD's my teacher makes of whatever it is that we're working on. The cd's always have a ton of different speeds on them.

If it's something that I'm not working on with my teacher, then I usually play along with the song in Guitar Pro.

So I guess I'm covered...

 

[distressed_romeo]

Can you play with a drummer?

Learning how to lock into a fixed groove is absolutely CRUCIAL. If you'd rather practice with a drum synth than a metronome that's fine but you need to practice with SOMETHING.

Agreed. Sitting in your room playing on your own won't teach you to lock in with other musicians. Even playing along with CDs and a metronome/drum machine will only take you so far. The best experience you can get is to play with a really good drummer.
Played with a great jazz drummer for a few months in a school band, and it did wonders for my rhythm playing.

 

[Nik]

Agreed. Sitting in your room playing on your own won't teach you to lock in with other musicians. Even playing along with CDs and a metronome/drum machine will only take you so far. The best experience you can get is to play with a really good drummer.
Played with a great jazz drummer for a few months in a school band, and it did wonders for my rhythm playing.

The only problem is that good drummers are so hard to find (at least, good drummers that aren't already in like 5 bands )

I stopped worrying about my technique long ago. A part of it was me realizing that I'll never, ever have technique as good as John Petrucci or Rusty Cooley. The second part of it was me realizing that it's more important to me to write a good, beautiful song, and that I don't need to be able to play diminished alternate-picked arpeggios at 200bpm to do it.

Of course, I still practice my ass off. Good technique is not being able to do all sorts of crazy mindless shredding. Good technique is when you are not restricted by your technique when you write songs--good technique is when your imagination is the limit of your musical creativity.

 

[distressed_romeo]

Of course, I still practice my ass off. Good technique is not being able to do all sorts of crazy mindless shredding. Good technique is when you are not restricted by your technique when you write songs--good technique is when your imagination is the limit of your musical creativity.

Nicely put.

 

[Drew]

I usually play along with the CD's my teacher makes of whatever it is that we're working on. The cd's always have a ton of different speeds on them.

If it's something that I'm not working on with my teacher, then I usually play along with the song in Guitar Pro.

So I guess I'm covered...

Still doesn't cut it - you're playing against a fixed groove, but you're not playing against a fixed beat - rather, you're following a recording of the exact guitar part. Learning how to hit the syncopations and accents by feel is just as important as being able to play in time - in fact, it IS being able to play in time.

Try this - download Fruity Loops, program a drum beat the same speed and feel as one of the songs you're learning, and see if you can play it along. If not, slow it down and practice until you can.